How do I swallow a pill?

Question

I'm concerned with multivitamins and their size. I have no problem taking an asperin, tylenol, or something else thats around the same size. However I can not swallow a multivitamin due to their size. I try almost every day, and I usually get one down a week but would like to improve my odds. I tried splitting them in half but they are hard to break, and if i do break them they are not even halves, its usually 25% on one side, 75% on the other.

What is the best way to learn how to swallow such a large pill? I'd rather not split them in half for a fear of losing some of the nutrients in them. Plus I was going to take fish oil pills that are about the same size.

Answer 1

I would recommend that you try to put the water in your mouth first and then add the vitamin and more water to swallow - or practice with smaller things until you build up to that size - you said you can with other size pills so you can - trust me - because I never could swallow ANY pills at all -nothing and I manage now. ALso - some pharmacists may have something called a pill cup where you can put the med in a pocket inside the cup with the water so they will go down at the same times.

Here are some tips on how to swallow pills from a website. And I wrote more of my own advice below these tips :o) Good luck!

Tips

With the onset of the timed released medications, it is no longer possible to cut pills in half or crush them to make it easier to swallow. Doing so will effect the time release. For those that have children that don’t like swallowing pills, some suggestions from our forum:

Get a couple of packages of those MINI m & m's. They are slightly bigger than his medicine and tastier...Try a little background with him first (you know your child)... point out how much more successful he feels on the med and that you are proud of him, etc... that you want to help him TEACH HIMSELF to swallow his meds. Show him the m & m's give him a glass of milk/water, whatever he picks, and a couple of m & m's. Here's the bargain: If he can swallow an m & m whole, he gets the rest of the package. Let him try, I wouldn't give him more than 3 chances at the most - you might risk re-inforcing the failures. If he sincerely tries and ALMOST succeeds, then give him a portion of the treat and maybe try again the next day (or later on).

Ask your pharmacist if they have a "pill cup" a cup with a little pocket in it that floats the med down with liquid when used for a drink (haven't seen one, but recommended by another parent, too).

Use a straw. Have him put the pill on his tongue. Then using a straw, suck down three big gulps of water (or whatever). With a straw there is no pill floating around in your mouth like there is if you just try to swallow a pill with a big mouthful of water

Use experiences.If caught with chewing gum in his mouth at school, does he gulp it down with no probs? My "normie" daughter said picturing this worked for her when taking any meds, although at your son's young age he may not have ever chewed gum at school.

Try foods they like.My step daughter had this problem and we solved it by her eating a cookie. When the cookie was chewed and ready to be swallowed, she would pop the pill in and then swallow the cookie. It was the only way I could get her to do it. For my son I used peanut butter and put it in the middle of a spoon of peanut butter. He luckily loved peanut butter and would often sneak the jar and eat it by the spoonful so it worked for him. Spoonfuls of brownie mix worked too, although I doubt you want to add making brownies to your list of things to do each morning. But look for something he would normally eat without chewing, that way he isn't trying to do something that is different to begin with.

JELLO!!! What about yummy red slurp right down your throat Jello! and if you don't wanna make Jello all the time, you can buy those little Jello snack boxes and use those.

Have him put the water in his mouth first, then sort of float the pill down. I've been taking pills like this since I was a kid and I have no problem even with those great big antibiotics used for UTI's.

Take a small piece of bread and have your son chew it up, then just before he swallows it have him put the pill in his mouth and swallow it with the bread. This gets around the "can't swallow without chewing" reflex. If he still feels the need to chew, he can chew the edges of the bread wad before swallowing.

Blowing in his face, more specifically up his nose, causes him to swallow.

Put water in his mouth first, then just drop the pill in.

Tic-Tacs My doctor suggesting using Tic-Tacs to teach our 5 year old how to swallow pills. Worked like a charm. She became a pro in no time.

http://add.about.com/cs/medications/a/swallowingpills.htm

Nothing is wrong with splitting them - you can find a pill splitter/crusher in drugstores which will give it a many of them come in sizes that are not as large aclean edge and not split off the edges as much.But - there are meds that you may need at some point that are controlled release and cannot be split for that reason. It is true also that if you eat a balanced diet, you really don't need one.

Try to see what ones are smaller than others. Or - check what is in certain ones and see if you can take two smaller ones. They also make chewable vitamins, gums that have all the vitamins you need (Vitaball it may be called) - and liquids - perhaps like Ensure. But as you get older, you will need to take pills sometimes more and more - some antibiotics are very big and it would be good to start to get used to swallowing them now.

Perhaps you could check with a pharmacist to see if they would know the best type of pill for you to take.

I used to have a real problem taking pills - I mean I just couldn't and didn't want to and I guess my parents made me practice with M&Ms - it worked.. I always used to need liquid Tylenol or this or that but now it does not bother me.

If you put it really far back all the way back on your tongue - almost in your throat, relax and then drink water with your head back, it should go right down.

Fish oil comes in fairly large gel pills most of the time -but again, see if one is smaller than the others - if not, they make other types of ways you can get the oils from fish oil- additives, oils, etc without having to take the pill.

:o)

Answer 2

During the autumn and spring--the bad allergy seasons--my dad always had the same problem. For some reason when the sinuses were bad and he was all dried out from decongestants and antihistamines it was hard to swallow large pills. We used to be amused by this, but he would take chewable kiddie vitamins along with us, only he would take 2 of them.

For fish oil pills, shop around for the lower dose ones which can be smaller in size, especially if they have the "enteric coating" which protecs the stomach. They seem to slide down a little easier.

Answer 3

Put a small amount of water in your mouth and then the vitamin.This works for my daughter, who has a difficult time swallowing medicine. The fish oil should be easier to swallow,they are soft. Good luck!!!

Answer 4

this is what i do, i hate swalling pills that u cant chew, so what u do its fill ur mouth up with water 1/2 way. then drop the pill in, after that fill up ur mouth with as much water as u can and keep swallowing gulp after gulp after gulp of water and it will go down. oh and dont think about like it just do it u no.

best wishes

Answer 5

Hi. Can you say 'glass of water'? You could swallow a peach pit with a water chaser.

Answer 6

take a small drink of water first to moisten your throat. than the pill will go down easier. fish oil will go down easy because they are so smooth

Answer 7

just cut it ino 3 parts or eat something with the pill or you can crunch the pill up and mix it ino your water but that taste awful i tried it before but it does work.

Answer 8

Take it while drinking from a water bottle. Keeping your lips pursed will prevent gagging...just make sure to keep your lips in the same spot while you swollow

Answer 9

Try taking them with milk. milk will coat it making it easier, or try putting it in some applesauce or pudding or mashed potatoes. Hope this helps!

Answer 10

Take a mouthfull of a drink, tilt your head up and toss one in, then gulp it down.